Islamic countries urge U.S. to pressure Israel on Gaza ceasefire

Several Arab and Islamic countries have called on the United States to play a "broader role" in pressuring Israel into accepting a ceasefire in the Gaza war, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

The call was made at a meeting in Washington between Qatari, Egyptian, Jordanian, Saudi, Palestinian and Turkish foreign ministers with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

They are members of a ministerial committee formed by an emergency Arab-Islamic summit, hosted by Saudi Arabia last month to discuss the Gaza situation.